'Once Upon A Time' at PaleyFest 2012: Cast/Producers Give Insight on Current Season, FutureSunday, March 04, 2012

Next up on the PaleyFest lineup is ABC's new hit Once Upon A Time, a charming drama that brings to life your favorite fairy tale characters who, thanks to a curse, are stuck in present time in Storybrooke, Maine.

- Of the 20 drama series that debuted this television season, Once had the highest-rated premiere
- It's the No. 1 new show among women ages 18-49, beating 2 Broke Girls and New Girl- It's also the No. 1 family co-viewing show, meaning it's the top show adults watch with kids.

Here are the main points brought up during the hour-long panel (including some spoilers, so read at your own risk!):

We'll see more of Archie, as the town psychotherapist gets two new patients -- Mr. Gold and David.- Mr. Gold doesn't have any friends or anyone to talk to, so he goes to see Archie to "address some things," Robert Carlyle said.
- As for David, he goes to see Archie to try to make sense of his relationships -- the one with Kathryn for whom he feels so guilty about and thus can't seem to leave her, and the one with Mary Margaret for whom he has these strong, unexplainable feelings for.

The Kathryn storyline will get resolved this season.
- So will David/Mary Margaret get their happy ending? Not quite -- a new obstacle will get in the way.
- "The nature of the curse is no one can have a happy ending," Josh Dallas explained.

Barbara Hershey (Black Swan) will play the Evil Queen's mother.- But don't expect a loving mother-daughter relationship. They don't get along.

We'll find out what Snow White did to piss the Evil Queen off.- It won't be that black and white, however. "It's the complication [of what exactly happened] that's beautiful about it and adds a richness to the relationship that we will need for subsequent seasons," Ginnifer Goodwin said.

The mystery visitor's agenda will be revealed.- Before the end of the season, we'll know exactly what he's doing in Storybrooke. Though the producers didn't immediately shoot down the theory that the mystery man is Henry, all grown up, they said one of the theories being thrown around out there is correct. Of course, they didn't say what that was.

The allusion to a mermaid in a previous episode was indeed about Ariel.- But that storyline will be for another time, another place, likely season 2. The producers want to focus on the current storylines that need to be played out. Another storyline to look out for after season 1: The story about Henry's father.

Will the sheriff come back?- The producers didn't rule that out. Although the Storybrooke side of the sheriff's storyline is over with, the Huntsman is still alive in the fairy tale world, so he may be making an appearance down the line.

The show has been dropping hints on how to break the curse.- Now don't go rushing to your DVRs to find out what it is. For the record, the actors do know what it is.

Other interesting tidbits:

- Episode 20 is currently being shot, and the season finale is currently being written.

- The process of getting in and out of the Rumpelstiltskin character takes hours. Getting makeup done takes under two hours, taking it off takes another hour and it takes 20 minutes to lace up his boots.

- The show makes use of a green stage, which is a giant sound stage surrounded on three sides by green curtains and green floors.

- Jennifer Morrison said her favorite scene playing Emma was before Sheriff Graham died because it was a huge turning point for the character.
"She really allowed herself to love someone romantically, even for a brief moment, for the first time in her life," she said.

- Ginnifer Goodwin actually went as Snow White for Halloween a couple of years ago.